Fire locator



Jan. 25, 1927. LGISQS? P. Wn FssHER FIRE LOCATOR Filed Jan. 25, 1924 A BYLM/A A TTORNE YS Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES PERRY WILLIAM FISI-IER, F YREKA, CALIFORNIA.

FIRE LOCATOR.

Application filed January 25, 1924. Serial No. 688,541.

This invention relates to instruments for predeterinining the location of forest fires.

Heretofore itv has been necessary in locating forest lires to take an angular or azimuth reading from two stations. The stations must be in constant communication for comparison and platting before an accurate de termination of the location of the fire is had.

It is an object of my invention to provide a device for determining the position of forest lires either in the day time or at night without necessitating telephonie comnninication between several stations and the usual plat-ting before the position of the :lire has been approximately determined.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device adapted to be operated in conjunction with a map of the surrounding countryfor determining the position of the lire on the map and thus providing for a rapid and accurate computation of the location of the fire solely fromv a single station.

This invention will be bestunderstood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawing forming a. part of the specification; nevertheless itis to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, heilig susceptible of such changes and n'iodiiications which shall define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims,

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of an instrumentl for locating lires.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates a base plate or table upon which is placed a map 2 of the surrounding region of the country in which the lookout station is located. A margin 3 is provided, the outer periphery of' which is divided into 3G() degrees, with numerals designating every degrees of the circle. A pintle 11 is provided at the center of the table or base member 1 and upon which is mounted a post 5. The upper end of the post is bifurcated to receive the middle portion of a telescope 6. The legs of the bifurcated portion of the post is provided with bearings adapted to receive the trunnions 7 which are adapted to support the telescope in the vertical plane and permit tilting of the telescope in opposite direction.

An arcuately shaped rack 8 has its opposite ends connected, as shown at 9 and 10, to the under portion of the telescope so that the teeth 11 of the rack will engage the teeth of gear wheel 12 mounted on a shaft 13. Bearings are provided in the post for carrying the shaft 13.

r1 gear wheel 11 is rigidly connected with the shaft and is located between the side members 15 which forni part of the lower end of the post 5, the wheel 141 being rotatable between said side members.

A horizontal rack 1G is slidable within a horizontal guide bar 17 and is adapted to mesh with the gear 14 so that when said gear is rotated the rack 16 will be moved diametrically of the circular map 2. The outer end of the guide bar 17 is supported by a diagonally disposed brace bar 18 which has its upper end connected to the post 5. The inner end of the guide bar 17 is rigidly connected with the lower end of the post which is adjacent to the table 1. rThe inner end of the rack 16 is provided with a clamp 19 adapted to carry a pointer 2O which is movable over the face of the map. A hand wheel 21 is rigidly connected with the shaft 13 for manually rotating the shaft.

rlhe circular' cardboard or paper upon which the map is laid out is fixed to the table 1 and the inner circle 22 is drawn to form the marginal border 3 in which the numbers are located adjacent the calibrations at ythe outer periphery of the map for designating the various degrees of such circular periphery. The surrounding country is diagramniatically platted on the map in such a manner that the rotary niovementof the post 5 carrying the telescope (i, rack 16 and the pointer 2O around the various portions of the map so that t-he map, when properly located in a look-out station will be positioned to show an accurate location of the various parts through the movement of the telescope from the horizontal and the radial movement of the telescope throughthe post 5. n

When a fire either in the `day or night is observed the telescope 6 is not only revolved but is tilted from the horizontal until the hair-line of the telescope is disclosed directly in the path of the fire. By observing the position of the pointer on the map, an exact location of the fire is had. This is due to the fact that the rack 16 cooperates with the rack 8. When the wheel 21 is revolved to properly position the telescope 6 after sighting a lire, the rack 16 is moved radially of the map 2 in proportion to the horizontal oscillation ot' the telescope 6 so that the pointer will fall upon the place which designates the exact position on the map and therefore predetermines the exact position of the lire from the look-out station by a single observation. The movement of the telescope (i .in a horizontal plane is had through grasping the rod 18 and moving it lor revolving the post 5 and locating the angular position of the telescope 6.

It will be seen that by my device lires may be located as accurately at night as may be done during the day and that it is not necessary for a look-out to be familiar with the surrounding country to determine the location of lires since the position ot the telescope and the pointer gives the exact location of the tire and since the determination of the position ot the lire is made by a look-out independently ot other lookouts in other stations there will be no dispute between the various look-outs as to the exact location oi a lire.

The horizontal guide bar 17 and the brace bar 18 together term a bracket projecting laterally from the post whereby the post and telescope (i may be revolved by the angular rotation of said bracket for directing the telescope for alinement with a forest lire. The angular inoven'ient oi" the bracket locates the pointer 2O on a line passing through a calibration at the periphery of the map which is described as degrees. The selected line as designated by a certain degree passes through the objective in the lield or in other words through the tire. rlhe oscillation of the telescope above or below the horizontal causes a further adjustment of the pointer radially o the line for an accurate determination of the position of the lire on the map.

rlhe construction of the inap must be suoli that the cooperative movements of the oscillating and rotating telescope will properly position the pointer 20 upon the location on the map which will indicate the position of the lire in the field and whereby an unskilled look-out will be able to readily determine such position.

It is understood that the rotatable member 5 at the look-out post is at the center of the territory which is under the direct supervision of the look-out at that point so that the revolution of the telescope Will bringall points of the territory under observation.

The post 5 is provided with a longitudinal slot through which is movable the lower portion of the arcuately shaped rack 8 and the horizontal rack 16. The gears 12 and 1st are likewise located within the slot ot the post.

lllhat l claim is:

l. .ln a device of the character describcal. a horizontal base, a circular map mounted thereon7 a post mounted on the base for rotation about a vertical axis at the center ot the map7 a telescope pivotally mounted at the upper end or" the post 'for rotation about a horizontal axis, an arcuately shaped rack connected to the telescopes and depending Jfrom the same, a shat't mounted for rotation in the post, a gear on the shalt and cngageable with the arcuately shaped rack, a second gear rigidly connected with the shaft, a bracket c-,ti-nnling laterally from the post, a rack provided with a pointer movable over the map, said rack being lslidable in the bracket and in mesh with the second mentioned gear whereby rotation olf the shaft will cause tilting of the telescope from the horizontal, and reciprocation ot the rack radially ot the map ior positioning the pointer on the map.

ln a device olI the character described, a horizontal base, a circular map mounted thereon and representative of a territory at the center of which the map is located, a post mounted on the base for rotation about a vertical axis at the center ot the map, a telescope pivotally mounted at the upper end ot the post for rotation about a horizontal axis, and an arcuately shaped rack connected to the telescope and depending from the saine, said post being provided with a longitudinal Slot, a shalt mounted transversely ot the slot in the post, a gear on the shait located within the slot and engageable with the arcuately shaped rack, the lower end of the rack being located within the slot, a second gear rigidly connected with the shalit and located within the slot, a bracket extending laterally from the post, a horizontal rack provided with a pointer movable over the map7 said rack being slidable in the bracket and through the slot in the post and in mesh with the second mentioned gear, whereby rotation of the shaft will cause tilting of the telescope from the horizontal and the simultaneous reciprocation of the horizontal rack radially of the map tor positioning` the pointer on the map.

PERRY VLLIAM FISHER,

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